Recently, a young woman named Justi Bates took to Facebook to share a beautiful message in the popular group Quilting.

Bates posted a picture of a tiny white frock with lace up the front, on top of a box that appears to contain even more similar garments.

She goes on to explain that is it one of 17 angel gowns, saying:

“Today, I received my wedding gown back. I sent it off earlier this year to be made into angel gowns for babies that don’t make it home from the hospital, and I’ll be donating them to the NICU at Vanderbilt. 17 little gowns were made from my dress, and as beautiful as they are, I pray they are never needed.”

A few services all over the world began to produce angel gowns for just such a heartbreaking time.

Instead of facing the heartbreaking task of buying an outfit just to see your little one buried in it, many hospital NICUs (Neonatal Intensive Care Units) will instead offer an angel gown to parents going through a loss.

These pretty little frocks offer the formality and dignity suitable to the occasion, while offering the parents comfort.

These tiny gowns can be made out of any kind of material, but are most often made out of recycled bridal dresses.

There are a few different reasons for that, spanning from the emotional value of the bridal gown to the materials it’s made from.

For one, the gown is associated with a happy moment, and might give parents and mourners the sense that the gown is imparting happiness onto a life that was cut short long before a wedding, or even a first birthday, could take place.

For another, wedding dresses are often made out of exceptionally beautiful materials, like silk, lace, and pearls.

These pretty materials help to signify the importance of the wedding gown on the big day, but can also be repurposed to help lend a sense of ceremony to a little one laid to rest wearing an angel gown.

Fine materials, like the ones used in the bonnet shown above, help to demonstrate how special and beloved the baby is, even after a too short of a time on Earth.

For brides, the decision to have the wedding dress turned into angel gowns is often an easy one.

After all, unless she plans to hand it down to her own daughter, the gown is unlikely to be worn again, and it won’t do anyone much good sitting quietly in a closet somewhere.

By donating the dress to a seamstress to make angel gowns, a newlywed bride can feel assured that her special memory will go on to provide comfort to someone else, even as she hopes, like Bates did, that “they are never needed.”

Do these exquisite angel gowns touch your heart?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to SHARE with friends who will be moved by this beautiful and heartbreaking second act for bridal gowns.